Improvement in playing-cards



H. BILLI NGS Playing Patented August 26.1873.

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TATES HAMMATT BILLINGS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN PLAYING-CARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patenty No. 142,075, dated August 26, 1873; application filed January 22, 1873.

To all whomJ it may concern Be it known that I, HAMMATT BILLrNers, of the city of Boston and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Playing-Cards, of which the following is a specification It is well known that the ordinary playing cards are used for recreation, not only in playing the usual games, such as whist, cribbage,euchre, Snc., but also for what is usually called fortune-telling. In this latter game one of the court-cards is usually regarded as representing the person whose fortune isvto told, and four of the spot-cards, usually the sevens, are used as indicators; the cards immediately following the indicators, as the cards are taken one by one from the pack,

showing the supposed fortune7 of, or the more important events which will happen to, the person represented by the court-card.

When the ordinary playing-cards .are used it is necessary to ascertain and commit to memory the signication of the cards in the pack; and as this game of fortune-telling is quite popular all these cards, except the court-A cards, have names expressing their significations, more or less well established, used in fortune-tellin g in addition to their recognized names when used in playing the more ordinary games.

These fortunetelling names and significa tions are, of course, arbitrary, and often the same name is applied to dierent cards by different persons; but, of course, as this game of fortune-telling is learned like any other game at cards, many of these names are quite well established, although it would not. be difficult to devisea new signification for any card in the pack, disregarding wholly the usual names 5 and this, no doubt, is sometimes done by the more imaginative players of the game.

My invention consists in a playing-card which not only bears the sign indicating its ordinary name when used in the more common games, but also a sign, whether letters or figures, or both, indicating its name and signification when used in the game of fortunetelling.`

With a pack of such cards it is obvious that this latter gaine can be much more easily learned and played than with the common playing-cards; and, also, that many persons who lack the fancy necessary to play it with the ordinary cards, where they must necessarily express the significations of the cards in their own language, can readily amuse them'- selves by playing it with cards where the signiiication of each appears on its face.

- A. minor feature of my invention consists in the arrangement of those parts of the face ot' the card which express its ordinary value or signification in the more common games in the middle portions of the card, so as to leave a margin on all four sides in which the fortunetelling significations are placed. By this arrangement the cards are none the less adapted for use in the more common games by reasonV of bearing on their faces their fortune-telling significance; and variety can be given to the game of fortune-telling because of the room afforded for fully setting forth the value or significance of the cards in this latter game.

In practice, my cards bear, each, not ,only

its name, but also four short sentences, one r on each of the four sides, thus making the significance of each card very full, and giving great variety to this game.

I have also added to the pack four other cards, to be used as indicators, in place of the sevens, when desired 5 this also imparts more variety to the game of fortune-telling, as it renders the sevens,v or other cards used as indicators, to be used so as to affect the fortune by their significance.

The drawings show cards embodying my invention in all its parts.

Thus the fortune-telling name of the acc of spades, Figure 1, is letten bad news,V and in playing the game of fortune-telling this card, when turned up, is supposed to indicate that the person whose fortune is toldwill have bad news in connection with a letter, whether to him or from him 5 and the position of the card, that is, whether above or below, or at the right or left of the card representing the person Whose fortune is being told,'is supposed to give some detailed information as to this letter and the bad news concerning it.' The court-cards, Figs. 2 and 3, have no name generally, as they indicate persons. Fig. 6 represents one ofthe indicators.

It is obvious that, if the sign indicating the ordinary name of the card, as. the nine of hearts of Fig. 4, or the three of diamonds of Fig. 5, &c., were omitted, these cards would be as valuable as before for playing the game of fortune-telling.

What I claim as my invention lis.

1. A playing-card bearing the two signs above described, and adapted, as explained, not only for use in playing the more common games, but also the game of fortune-telling by cards.

2. The arrangement of the two signs, above described, the one in the middle portion of the face of the card, and the other in the margin, formed substantially as above described.

HAMMATT BILLINGS.

Witnesses:

F. H. MOORE, J. E. MAYNADIER. 

